By Pam Mazzuca, BSc, CAT(c)

If you read Oxygen, chances are you don’t shy away from the weight room or from building sexy muscle. In fact you could probably teach the guys in the gym a thing or two about strength training.

Long gone are the days when women with muscle were thought to be less feminine looking; now it’s a sign of health, beauty, youth and fitness. And rightfully so; your toned and sculpted physique is the result of clean eating and hard work.

And what easier way of always looking fit, even when you’re feeling bloated, than by adding a little muscle to those scrawny biceps? It’s really the only body part you can flaunt year-round. It’s important to note, however, that your biceps are a small muscle group and it’s easy to overtrain them, so be sure to get enough rest between workouts. If you begin noticing discomfort in your elbows, chances are you’ve been pushing too hard and could use a week off biceps training.

The key to perfectly sculpted biceps is proper form. Regardless of what exercise you’re performing, your elbows should always remain tight to your body and stationary. The only movement should be your hands moving up and down. And don’t forget to take it slow to really feel those biceps working.

Aside from form, exercise choice also plays a vital role in the overall development of your biceps. Like all muscles, you need to ensure you hit all the fibers of the biceps from a variety of angles, which is best accomplished by changing up your grip from overhand, underhand and neutral. Add this hammer curl exercise to the biceps workout in the May 2009 issue of Oxygen for arms to die for.

HAMMER CURL

Target Muscles: brachialis

Set Up: Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, knees slightly bent and a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip, palms facing each other [A].

Action: Curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders by bending your elbows until your forearms are perpendicular to the ground [B]. Hold for a second, really squeezing your biceps, then return to the starting position and repeat.

Photography: Paul Buceta, Model: Vanda Hadarean,
Hair and Makeup: Valeria Nova, Styling: Elle Patille